I Am Jeff Winger
by CrispyBaconbits
Summary: A hospital is a prison. Alternate Ending now up.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everyone. So I haven't really written anything long because I've been trying to come up with a good idea. This is something I just kinda wrote out on a whim, but it turned into something rather interesting so I decided to post it. It's pretty dramatic, just a heads up.

* * *

When the lights are low in this place, you get plenty of time for thinking about...anything really. I guess this is especially true when it's the day before some good ol' fashion high risk surgery. I found myself doing everything I possibly could today to forget about the events that will occur about 14 hours from now. It's not like I'm necessarily afraid of surgery; after all, I am Jeff Winger.

...albeit a very different looking one.

But this whole thing is utterly debilitating. And I'm not talking about the chemo; I'm talking about just being _here_. A hospital is a prison; it is a place that bars you from the rest of society, because there is something about you that makes people uncomfortable. Funny...I never thought me of all people would have that problem. And yet here I am. My orange jumpsuit looks remarkably similar to a backless hospital gown but they can't fool me; I know what it really is. God, I hate this place; people will visit you here and there, but no one can really do anything to get you out. And so I talked to the nurses and established a closer connection with them that was really necessary in my eyes. It wasn't because I liked talking to them; it was because I needed to talk to _someone_. In particular, me and nurse Taren were like best friends now. Best friends through necessity. She was the head nurse for me, but as of late she was mostly just my confidant. Today, we had talked more than we ever have. She knows so much about me; I wouldn't be surprised if she gave my therapist a run for her money at this point. And I don't know if it's me deluding myself, but Taren seems better at making me see the light of things right now. Maybe that's why I'm so calm tonight. Well, maybe "calm" is a bad word. How about "relatively relaxed given the circumstances"? Agh...whatever.

I still hate this place though.

* * *

The diagnosis came about 6 months ago. I remember it being the single biggest buzzkill to ever grace a _routine checkup. _Worse than anything Britta could dish out. Although I guess I should give the doc some credit; he was only doing his job. Doesn't really matter though...words are words.

"_Mr. Winger, there is something I would like to talk to you about. I've noticed an abnormality in one of your x-rays." _

After the initial statement, words like "cancer" and "tumour" were not really important. All I could focus on was his goddamn voice. I'll never forget the tone of it. It was like a mix of being distant and yet concerned and sympathetic. It reminded me of the tone I usually took with Annie at Greendale when things got too real.

Annie.

They all know. They have for a while. The first month was spent being overly sympathetic and weird. I felt fine, and their pity was unbearable. I remember getting mad one day at them, so they abruptly stopped treating me differently. The second month was probably the best one of the last six. At least the first half was. We all hungout more, although no one addressed the obvious reason for it. I didn't mind though, as long as it wasn't be shoved in my face I could tell myself that we were all just becoming even closer as friends.

And I suppose that isn't a lie.

The second half of month two was filled with injections and treatment that transformed me into what I now like to call, "The reason me and my mirror aren't really on good terms anymore." That's when things began to get awkward. The group tried to turn a blind eye to my lack of hair, which I found amusing as they would have jumped at any other opportunity to poke fun at me had it been for any other reason. The third month was spent between the hospital and my apartment, and the fourth and fifth shifted the balance to mostly the hospital. And now we're here. This month has been hell, I'll admit it. The group of course still visits, in fact they're all coming back tomorrow. It isn't the same though. I feel...disconnected. I'm not really afraid, I'm just...alone. What sucks is that I don't like that feeling anymore. I used to love being alone. Although I suppose most people emerge from prison as a changed human being. I'd really just like to get past the emerging part first, though.

And then today, Taren asked me something that's got me sitting up in this bed instead of willing myself to sleep.

"What will you do if you make it through the surgery?"

It was a question that I had been thinking about for the last 5 hours now. Say I did survive: what then? I couldn't go back to my life before. Things will be so different. Do I even want to be a lawyer anymore? If this thing has taught me anything, it's that life isn't worth being self absorbed in material possessions. I'd want to do something I really love.

...But I don't know what that is.

Maybe I'd spend more time with my mother. Or I might even look for my dad. Even though all my memories of him are terrible, maybe I just need to give him a chance to explain. My time during this has made me realize that a person can act a certain way because they're afraid of expressing what's lying inside. I won't lie; my dad fucked me up mentally. But maybe he isn't too sane either. Mixed feelings make you do weird things, and it can be frustrating. Frustrating enough to make you take it out on the only two people around, even if that happens to be your wife and child. Maybe to some degree he realized what he was doing was wrong, which is why he left. I'm not sure. But if I do live through this, I'll ask him. I'll find him wherever he is, and I'll get some degree of closure.

Maybe then I can finally move on with my life.

* * *

I woke up to Taren the next morning. "Hi, Jeff," she said beaming at me. "How are you this morning?" I rubbed my eyes a little bit before looking up at the woman. She didn't seem to be worried or even sympathetic at all. It was like she had no idea what was happening today. "I'm great, thanks."

"That's good to hear." There was a deafening silence in the room, which I was eager to break. I felt like the whole room was closing in on me. "Listen, Taren. I...um...I wanted to thank you. For sticking around with me." She smiled at me. "Well it's my job, Jeff. I get paid to be your friend, and occasionally stick a needle in you." I laughed at her, before she smiled genuinely at me and laid her palm on my hand.

"You're welcome, Jeff. Whatever happens, I want you to know that you have been one of my favourite patients I've ever had. I will miss you."

I saw a tear run down her cheek, and I went in to pull her into a hug. "You're breaking the rules, y'know. You aren't supposed to get too attached to your patients, miss." I felt her laugh silently against me. "I don't really care at this point."

* * *

Our little moment was interrupted when the door opened and I saw the unmistakable image of my study group. I smiled at them, but only Britta walked in. She sat down next to my bed, and Taren smiled at me one more time before leaving and guiding the rest of the group to the waiting room. I understood; they wanted to talk to me one at a time. Britta smiled weakly at me, before looking down at her hands.

"Jeff..."

"Ms. Perry."

"You look good."

"Those words are almost 4 years too late."

"Shut up."

"What's in the bag?"

"A baggle."

"..."

"Don't laugh. I thought you could use a decent breakfast."

"Thanks."

"Um...Jeff...I..."

"I know."

"Look, you've been a huge jerk to me sometimes. And I'll admit my first impression of you wasn't a good one. But you've really grown on me during our time at Greendale. You've grown on all of us. We've been through a lot. This whole thing has shown me how much I don't want to lose you. For what it's worth, your douchebagness can really brighten my day sometimes. Whatever happens, our memories will be some of the fondest ones I have."

She was crying, so I opted not to say anything and just hug her. I was going to miss Britta. She had gone from being a love interest to being the annoying little sister. The thing was, as annoying as little sisters are, they still mean a lot to you. And you can't ever deny that. And trust me, I've tried.

"Probably one of the first times I've seen you cry."

"I don't mind."

"I know I sound cool like usual, but the back of your shirt would probably beg to differ right now."

"I should be honored that Jeff Winger's tears are gracing my back."

"Britta?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the baggle."

She pulled away and smiled at me. "I should probably go get the next person for you. We promised we'd make these visits short."

I silently thanked her for calling them "visits" and not "goodbyes".

* * *

After she left, a tall, lanky individual came into view. I smiled.

"Hey Abed."

"Hey."

He didn't even look emotional at all. I wasn't upset, or even surprised. That's just the way Abed was. And he probably was upset deep down in his complicated heart.

"Whatcha got there?"

"Oh. This is a picture of us that night we got drunk after Britta drunk dialed you."

"I don't remember this part happening."

"Yeah, at some point we got into my costume closet."

"I look amazing as the Phantom of the Opera."

"I agree."

"..."

"..."

"It was a good night."

"Yeah."

"Thanks for...being you, Abed."

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

"What I mean is, thanks for not changing. I imagine it must have been hard. But I wouldn't have wanted you to act any differently. You're awesome."

"Thanks."

"Haha."

"You remind me of Joseph Gordon-Levitt from 50/50 right now."

"That would make you Seth Rogan I suppose."

"I don't fit that character at all."

"Who does?"

"I don't know. I guess we all do in this case."

"That's a nice thought."

"I'm going to miss you, Jeff."

"Don't say that yet."

"Might not get another chance."

"Well then, I'm gonna miss you too, buddy. Do me a favour?"

"Sure."

"Make a movie on my life?"

"..."

"It was a joke-"

"Absolutely."

* * *

I grinned at him, as he stood up. I put the picture on the end table next to my bed as he left. Troy entered afterwards, plopping down in the same chair.

"T-Bone."

"Gotcha these."

"A football and...an action figure?"

"Not just any action figure, that's Kickpuncher my friend!"

"May I ask why?"

"Well, I thought it symbolized how you helped me change from who I once was to who I am now. I really wanted to thank you for that."

"Ah. You're welcome."

"I know it's dumb...you don't have to-"

"Keeping it."

"Thanks man."

"No problem. Hey, listen. I didn't mention this to Abed, but seeing you two grow together has been pretty awesome. I was happy I was able to do that for you."

"So am I. We're both gonna miss you a lot dude. I also gotta thank you for Britta."

"Oh right. How's that going?"

"Really great. She still gets uncomfortable when I'm nice to her, but I don't know what to do about that."

"Well she's still with you right?"

"That's true."

"Don't worry, Troy. She secretly loves it, she just won't admit it. Be nice to her for yourself. Remember what I said to you when we first met. Don't do things for other people. Do things for yourself. Britta's your Letterman jacket."

"You just wrinkled my brain...again."

"I guess I'm good at that."

"It's actually pretty easy for people to do it."

"I hope everything works out for both of you."

"Thanks man."

"Oh and one more thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you look after Annie and Abed in your apartment. They both probably need more help than they'll let on."

"You got it man. See ya later, Jeff."

"Later, Troy."

* * *

I briefly brought my hands to my face to wipe my eyes. There were tears. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought. And I already thought it was going to be pretty damn hard to begin with. I was pushed from my thoughts when Shirley knocked lightly on the open door.

"Jeffery?"

I looked over. Standing there was not only Shirley, but Andre as well who was holding baby Ben. I smiled at them as they walked over.

"You're looking better than before."

"Thanks, Britta said the same thing."

"She did?"

"I know, I was surprised too."

"Oh, stop that. She cares about you a lot you know."

"I know. I appreciate it too. It's just the way we are to tease each other. I think it makes her feel better about all this."

"I made you a brownie."

"Just one?"

"Yes. Because I knew you wouldn't eat it."

"Unless you want me to. They are delicious."

"You're sweet."

"I thought you would have gotten me a cross or something, to be completely honest."

"The thought crossed my mind, but I know you probably would've appreciated the brownie more."

"For what it's worth, I prayed last night."

"You did?"

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep. And...had a lot on my mind."

"Oh Jeffery! That's wonderful!"

"It did feel good."

"I promised the group that I wouldn't bring up anymore religion talk though. And Ben has something he'd like to say to you."

I looked up at the little baby in Andre's arms. After some prompting from his parents, he muttered out "Jeff."

I smiled at the little boy, then back up at Shirley and Andre.

"First word?"

"Of course not. But we thought it was important that he know who you are. Because you're largely the reason why he's here in the first place. I probably would not have been reacquainted with my family had it not been for the study group you created."

"I'm not sure if that's completely true."

"Well...I like to think it is. You're still my second family."

"Thanks Shirley. That's nice."

* * *

I hugged both her and Andre and grabbed Ben's tiny hand, squeezing it lightly before they left the room. I put the brownie with all my other little gifts on the end table next to my bed. I looked up and noticed Pierce standing in the doorway, looking hesitant.

"It's okay. You can come in Pierce."

"Thanks Jeffery."

He sat down, avoiding my eyes.

"What's the matter?"

"I just...tend to say the wrong thing a lot. I'm a little uncomfortable right now to be honest."

"Plus, there was a time when our positions here were reversed. Except I'm not faking."

"And my father can't be coming to see me, since he's dead."

"I think you mean vaporized."

"Oh, right. Speaking of that..."

"You're giving me your lava lam- I mean mother?"

"Yeah. About time I let her go. I think that's why she's not coming back. I'm too attached to her."

"That's probably it."

"So, I guess if you have time before this whole life and death thing maybe you could talk to her. Although she's probably not going to listen to you after you killed my dad."

"You know something? I'll give it a shot."

"Good luck."

"Thanks, Pierce."

"Jeffery, listen. I know we've had our differences in the past, but I've always considered you a son to me."

"I guess if there was any time to accept that, it'd be now. And even if it's because I barely knew my own dad, you were kinda like a father to me Pierce."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know how much you wanted that title."

"It's not about the title..."

"Yes it is. But that's okay. Just don't try anything with my mom."

"Well Jeffery since you called me your father-"

"Don't. Try. Anything. With. My. Mother."

"Alright alright, geez."

"Thank you."

"I guess I should quit while I'm ahead here, huh?"

"Probably a good idea, to be honest."

"But just one more thing."

"What would that be?"

"I know you aren't gay Jeffery."

"Well that's good to hear."

"I was just jealous of your ability to get more chicks than me."

"You still got it, Pierce."

"Thanks, Jeffery. That means a lot."

"Knock 'em outta the water Piercenald."

* * *

Pierce walked out of the room looking a lot more prideful than he had walking in. I looked at the lava lamp in my hands. "You know, all things considered, you raised a pretty decent person Mrs. Hawthorne. But I don't need any parenting tips from you if I get out of here. No offense." With that, I put the lamp next to everything else and waited patiently for the last member of my study group.

"Hi Jeff."

"Milady."

Annie walked in quietly and sat down next to my bed. I could see her take a deep breath before she looked at me. "I would say you look good, but you really don't."

"At least you're being honest."

"Wanna hear another piece of honesty?"

"Sure."

"I'm unbelievably scared for you right now."

"I'm scared too."

"When I think of what might happen..."

"Then don't."

"What?"

"Don't think about it."

"Easier said than done."

"Hey, if I can do it, you can."

"Can you do it though? Can you really look at me and tell me that you aren't thinking of what might happen in that operating room?"

"I spent enough time doing that last night."

"...fair enough."

"Hey."

"What?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

"If I get through this, I was thinking I'd try and find my dad. I want to talk to him at least once after all these years. If I get the chance, would you come with me?"

"..."

"Annie."

"Yes."

"Ha. I was expecting more questions."

"Maybe I want to spend time with you after all this. Maybe I want to spend all my time with you."

"Annie?"

"I'm sorry, this is inappropriate."

"This might be the only time."

"I can't believe I'm the one doing this."

"You know something? Me neither."

"Do you want me to say it or not?"

"I don't."

"Oh."

"Not yet at least."

"But you just said-"

"Let me go first. You deserve that much."

"Okay."

"Annie, I love you. And no matter what happens, I won't stop loving you. And...I'm sorry I never decided to say it when things were better in our lives. But better late than never, right?"

"How can you do this?"

"What?"

"How can you be so...chipper about this whole thing? I can barely keep it together and you seem fine! This isn't fair!"

"Annie..."

"No! Jeff...this is so hard. I love you so much, and all I've ever wanted was to at least have the chance to maybe have you reciprocate those feelings. But now that you are, we might not even get a chance to do anything about it! And yet you seem fine! Jeff...when I think about us never being together again at all...I'm afraid. I don't want this to happen. I would do anything to make sure we can see this through. I just..."

"Annie, it's okay."

"I'm sorry, Jeff. I shouldn't have yelled. I just...I don't know if I could handle you being taken away from me..."

"I feel the same way. That's why I am acting like this. I don't want my last thoughts of us to be sad ones. I want them to be happy. Like they were meant to be."

"..."

"You're so beautiful."

"My mascara is all over the place."

"At least you have hair."

"Jeff!"

"Hey. Come here."

I scotched over and made space on the bed next to me. She carefully climbed in and lay down next to me. I put my arm around her and pulled her into me gently.

"You didn't get me a gift."

"Yes I did."

"You didn't have to...I was teasing."

"I know. But here."

She sat up and removed the chain from around her neck.

"This is your..."

"My rehab necklace."

"Absolutely not."

"No. I want you to have this."

"Why?"

"Because my pill addiction is what brought me to you. You made me realize that rehab was a stepping stone in my life in more ways than the one I initially thought."

"Annie...you wear this every day."

"And I want to be with you every day. For the rest of my life."

"But if I don't-"

"You will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you need to return that to me after all this."

"Thank you. This...this means so much."

"I love you, Jeff."

"I love you too, Annie."

We lay there together, in silence for a couple more minutes as the study group slowly filled back into the room. They surrounded the bed, and didn't say anything as me and Annie sat up in the bed. Slowly, everyone began to wrap their arms around me in a group hug.

What might be our last group hug.

Taren then silently walked in and waited patiently by the door. After we finally broke apart, she walked up to me and smiled down at me.

"Jeff. It's time."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Okay so this is the second and last part of this little story. It's really sad, I won't lie. I don't know why all my stories are so sad...I'm a pretty happy guy in real life I swear! Enjoy haha.

* * *

Bill Winger was alone in small home, cooking dinner when he heard a knock on his door. Grunting slightly in frustration he put his things down and went over to door. A small young woman stood there, smiling politely at him. She was wearing a neat red cardigan and a black skirt with stockings. Bill stood there, still looking slightly frustrated at the petite brunette in his door frame.

"Can I help you, miss?"

"You're Mr. Winger, right?"

"Yes."

"Fantastic. My name is Annie Edison. I was a friend of your son's."

"Was?"

"Please, may I come in?"

Bill grunted again, "Ugh, sure."

Annie smiled at him again as she walked in.

"Thank you, um..."

"Bill."

"Thank you, Bill."

Annie removed her shoes at the front of the house before surveying the rest of it. It looked rather neat and clean, which surprised her. What was not particularly surprising however, was how small it looked. It was obvious that this man liked to have his privacy. She also smelled a rather nice aroma coming from his kitchen.

"Oh, I'm sorry I disturbed your dinner. You have a lovely home though."

Bill led her to the kitchen, where Annie made herself comfortable at his little table.

"You didn't disturb it, since I'm not done cooking it. And thank you."

Annie grinned. She could tell where Jeff had gotten his sharp wit from.

"So, why are you here again?"

"Oh right! I'm sorry. Like I said I was a friend of your son's. I just-"

"Can I ask why you keep referring to Jeff in the past tense, Annie?"

Annie grew silent, which Bill immediately noticed and took as a bad sign. He went to sit down at the table and waited for her to answer him.

"Annie."

She seemed to shudder at how he mentioned her name.

"Are you alright?"

That seemed to get her out of her little trance and she looked back up at him. She didn't have a smile on her face though. She took a deep breath before answering him.

"Yes, I'm sorry I just needed a minute. Bill...your son...he passed away 2 months ago. He had spinal cancer and didn't make it."

Bill's expression surprisingly didn't change that much. He did break eye contact with Annie for a moment though, looking down at the table.

"I...see. That's definitely not what I wanted to hear. I'm assuming you two were close."

"You could say that."

"..."

Annie waited for Bill to say something. He looked to be in deep thought, and she didn't want to interrupt him. Still looking down at the table, she heard his voice again.

"I know why you're here, Annie."

"You do?"

"Yes. You want to know why I did the things I did to Jeff and his mother. Correct?"

Annie simply nodded. Bill seemed to relax a little bit as he looked back up at her.

"Annie, you look like a bright young woman. So you know what it's like to have people expect big things from you. Do you mind if I ask you what your relationship with your parents is like?"

"To be honest, not great."

"I'm going to assume that's because the pressure of doing well in school got to you."

"In a way."

"Look, I'm not trying to delve into your past here Annie. I just want you to understand my point of view."

"Okay."

"My father, Jeff's grandfather, was a man who thought that following the way he was raised was the only successful way to live a good life. Naturally, I was a bright student. I got very good grades and could probably do whatever I wanted. And yet I wasn't able to choose what I really wanted to do because of my own parents."

"May I ask what that was?"

"I wanted to major in sociology. But my father hated that idea. I resented him because of that."

"So what did you do?"

"What could I do? I had to do what they wanted me to. I pursued a degree in engineering and married a nice young woman. Then we had a son, named Jeffery."

"And that's it?"

"Well no. See, the thing about doing something you don't want to do is that eventually your mind says, "Screw this" and starts making you do stupid things. I'm not saying that as an excuse for what I did, but it _is _part of it."

"I think I understand that. I mean, my parents always told me that I could be successful as long as I had my intelligence, since I didn't have much else in high school. It suffocated me, to the point where I got addicted to pills just so I could escape."

"I'm sorry. That could not have been an easy time in your life."

"It wasn't, but it taught me a lot. I learned from it."

"Annie, what I'm trying to get you to understand is that there are two sides to every story. Now I don't blame my wife and son for making me out to be a terrible person, because I know that I am. And that is why I left. You see, the abuse that I forced my family to endure was based on something that was complicated that I didn't quite understand myself. I just felt like the walls of our house were closing in on me, suffocating me like you said, and I needed some way to take out my frustration. I know that this doesn't excuse anything I did, which is why I didn't bother to try and get sympathy from anyone. What is the point in trying to apologize when you know you don't deserve to be forgiven?"

"I...I guess you're right. But I think if my parents apologized to me, I would forgive them. I feel like everyone deserves a second chance at making good."

"With all due respect Annie, I don't think many people would see me that way. Not even you."

"Yeah, probably not. But at least I understand your reasons now."

"I'm just upset I never got a chance to explain it to my son."

"Well...you still could. I know where he's resting now, so if you-"

"No. Thank you, but no. My son...we did not leave on good terms. But he grew as a person after I left. He does not need me anymore. He needs his mother. And his friends. But not me."

"I understand."

"May I ask you a question, Annie?"

"Sure."

"What was the extent of your relationship with my son?"

"It's...complicated."

"Did you love him?"

"Yes. Very much so. I would have done anything to be with him."

"And yet you weren't?"

"No..."

"I apologize."

"I'm sorry?"

"That's my fault."

"I'm not quite sure I understand, Bill."

"Even from a young age, my son had trouble expressing his feelings. This was because I would often get angry with him for doing so. If I had to guess, it probably seemed like he was trying to distance himself from you, correct?"

"Yeah..."

"That's because he was probably afraid that a relationship with you would turn into the one his parents had."

"But that's ridiculous. I knew he loved me; he even told me so!"

"When?"

"...the night before he died."

"Because he knew he didn't have to be afraid anymore. He could just express what he was feeling and there would be no consequences. I must thank you; you really made my son grow as a person."

"He's gone now. I'm not sure how much it helped."

"Regardless, I can tell you are a good woman. He probably spent his last moments thinking of you. I know he was finally truly happy. Thank you."

"I think I need to go, Bill."

"Of course. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. There's no need to apologize, remember?"

"Right."

* * *

Annie left the man's house quickly, jumping in her car and driving back to Greendale. But halfway, she couldn't do it anymore. She pulled over to the side of the road and let out the loudest scream she could muster. Almost immediately after, the tears came. Annie just sat in the driver's seat on the quiet dirt road and brought her knees up to her chest.

She spent the night there.

Eventually, she made it back to Greendale but she didn't go home. She parked passed the old stone sign that read "Greendale Cemetery" and slowly walked up to the lone gravestone at the top of the hill.

"Hey, Jeff. Try and guess where I just came from?"

"..."

"Too late. It was your dad's."

"..."

"I know I know. You wanted to see him together. Well he told me that he wouldn't have visited you here anyway. I don't want you to feel bad about that, he has his reasons."

"..."

"Your dad and I have more in common than you might think actually. We both felt pressured by our parents, which is why we did the things we did in our past. But he knows that doesn't excuse his behavior with you and your mom. I guess that proves he's grown up a lot at least, doesn't it?"

"..."

"I miss you."

"..."

"So much."

"..."

"Come back to me."

"..."

"No, I shouldn't say that. It's selfish."

"..."

"I know that you're with me. Just...some days are harder than others. Yesterday happened to be one of those days."

"..."

"...heh. It's rude to not even talk back y'know."

"..."

"Just kidding."

"..."

"I see someone decided to change the little arrangement of all our gifts to you. It was probably Shirley. I keep telling her that her brownie looks awful on top of Troy's football. You agree with me right?"

"..."

"There we go."

"..."

"I hope you're not mad at me for taking my necklace away from you again. It's just...grave robbers."

"..."

"But I wear it extra close to my heart for you. Every day."

"..."

"Jeff..."

"..."

"You'll always be with me. We will always be connected."

"..."

"I love you."


	3. ALTERNATE ENDING

**A/N: **Hey all, I made this for people who wanted to see a happier outcome in this story. Enjoy :)

* * *

_2 hours_

Everyone sat nervously in the waiting room. Not even Pierce had opted to say anything. It was just...quiet; almost eerily so. I couldn't stop shaking if I tried, but thankfully, no one tried to calm me down. Shirley's hand was on my arm but I barely registered it. All I could think about was Jeff.

_Please make it._

_Please make it._

_Please._

_4 hours _

Britta fell into an uneasy sleep about an hour ago. She was resting her head on Troy's shoulder. He had his arm wrapped around her. I couldn't help but give him a small smile; Troy really was a good boyfriend to Britta, especially given her behavior towards him. It wasn't rude, but she was visibly uncomfortable being committed to someone like Troy. He was patient through Britta's whole inferiority complex though, which I thought was a big step for both of them. I was just hoping I got the same chance to be patient with Jeff. One step at a time...

_6 hours_

I was dying.

Not literally, but I might as well have been. The anxiety of this was so tense that I was convinced that it was lethal. Shirley had gone home with Andre and Ben, and Troy had fallen asleep with Britta. Abed (not surprisingly) was still in the same position he was in 6 hours, although I noticed that his foot was shaking ever so slightly. Pierce had also fallen asleep next to him, but Abed didn't seem to notice. He was just staring blankly at the wall; even though he had trouble conveying emotions I knew he was probably suffering just as much as I was.

I wondered who would break first.

_6.5 hours _

"Hello everyone."

I wasted no time in jumping up from my seat and running towards the man in the white coat. Britta and Troy sleepily woke up from the noise, but soon became much more active after noticing what exactly woke them up from their comfortable slumber. Pierce looked confused even after he had woken up, and Abed simply walked up calmly towards the doctor.

"Doctor?" I hesitantly asked.

"I'm not going to keep you all in suspense so I'll get right to it. It was close, but Jeff's going to be okay."

It felt like my heart erupted from my chest. Instantly I felt myself crying, and before I knew what I was doing I had jumped into the doctor's arms. He awkwardly reciprocated the hug, and then the rest of us spent a good minute hugging each other.

"Now there is some bad news too."

Knowing that Jeff was at least alive, I willed myself not to jump to conclusions and let the doctor finish. The rest of the group seemed to do the same thing.

"We cut the tumour out, but we were unable to do so without damaging one of the nerves in his spinal column. Because of this, it looks like Jeff isn't going to be able to walk for a while. He will be confined to a wheel chair for likely a couple months, but he will also be working with a physical therapist to get back on his feet – literally."

I smiled at the doctor's attempt to lighten the mood a little bit as I took the information. To be honest, I didn't care that Jeff wouldn't be able to walk for a while. I could work around that. _We_ could work around that. All that mattered was that he was alive and well.

"So, can we see him?"I asked anxiously. The doctor smiled at us. "Of course. Although he is likely still under, but he should wake within the hour."

Thanking the doctor, I hurried with the group towards the operating room, only to discover that Jeff had already been moved back to his other room. Smiling to myself, I practically ran in the opposite direction to his room.

The door was open, and nurse Taren greeted us.

"Hello everyone, I imagine you are all very happy right now. But you also look very tired," she said laughing. I looked around; indeed, the group didn't look that great right now. Even Abed, who had barely moved in the waiting room, had his hair slightly dishevelled. I imagined I was among the worse looking ones, considering I could feel my hair in places it shouldn't be, and I knew my mascara was probably everywhere but around my eyes. Taren smiled at us evaluating each others' appearances. "You guys are all wonderful friends. Jeffery's mother is here already, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind company while you wait for him to wake up." I stood there for a moment, trying to remember when Jeff's mom had arrived that day, but I was drawing a blank. Whatever, it wasn't relevant anyway.

We all walked in, found a chair, and took a seat around Jeff's bed.

"I'm assuming you are Jeffery's friends from Greendale?"

We all looked towards the older woman and nodded. I had to admit, she made the rest of us look good. Jeff's mom looked like she hadn't been truly relaxed and stress free since at least a couple years ago. I frowned at the sadness of it all. Regardless, she gave us all a weak, but genuine smile.

"He has told me a lot about you all."

"He has?" asked Britta, clearly surprised like the rest of us. Jeff's mother laughed quietly. "Yes, he has. He tells me a lot about that school. It may seem like he didn't want to be there, but he told me himself that he wishes he never graduated so soon. He loves you all very much. You're the closest friends he's ever had." Knowing that Jeff felt that way about us warmed my heart. Even though a part of me knew he loved us, it was better to get the reassurance from his own mother. Britta looked extremely happy about this news, "I guess I'm gonna have to hold that over Jeff's head the next time he wants to call me the worst."

"Well there are some things you just learn to accept, Britta."

Hearing Jeff's voice startled us as we turned to face him. He was smiling at us, but he also looked to be in pain. "Ugh, my back feels like someone has been ramming into it with a semi-truck constantly for the past...forever. Where's Shirley?" Britta's eyes widened. "Oh my god, I need to call her over here! I'll be back guys. One sec, Jeff. It's so good to see you right now by the way!" The blonde hurried out of the little room while fumbling with her phone.

"So how you feeling, man?" asked Troy nervously. Jeff groaned. "Well besides the fact that my back might literally be on fire, just groggy. I'm a little out of it still...especially since my mom's apparently here? Mom, when did you get here?" Mrs. Winger took Jeff's hand and grasped it lightly. "About an hour ago, honey. I went to go look for a doctor, and when they saw I was your mother they let me stay with you since the operation was almost finished."

Well, that explains why we missed her come in.

I looked over at the two of them. Jeff had his eyes closed again and his expression still looked like he was in pain, but he was grasping his mother's smaller hand tightly. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at her with a look of complete gratitude. "Thank you for being here, mom." Jeff's mom just smiled at him and laid a hand on his cheek. "You know I would never leave you here by yourself, Jeffery." I saw a tear fall down his cheek. "I know. Thanks." I felt my heart melt at the scene. Even with the recent developments between him and me, Jeff's feelings were still a little bit guarded. But with his mom, he let down his walls completely. She was probably the only person that he could do this with. It was selfish, but I hoped I could join that club soon. For now though, I was just happy he was okay.

After Shirley returned and we all spent about another hour with Jeff, we were forced to leave the room so that the doctors could run Jeff through extra tests and what-not. As I was leaving though, I heard his voice again.

"Annie."

It sounded unbelievably relieving to hear him say my name. I turned around.

"Maybe we should talk after, the doctors need to-"

"I just wanted to return this."

He held up my necklace that I had given him only 8 hours ago. I smiled as tears pricked at my eyes.

"Right."

As I went to go grab it, Jeff slowly brought it down towards his face. Once I was close enough, he grabbed my arm and pulled my lips towards his own.

The kiss was very brief. It wasn't passionate, but extremely heartfelt. It had everything we were dying to say to one another, but couldn't because the doctors were waiting for me to leave the room.

"Sorry I couldn't lean up a little bit, probably would have made that a little less awkward."

"Shut up, Jeff. It was great."

"And desperately needed."

"Agreed."

"There we go."

"Huh?"

I looked down and saw that Jeff had connected the chain of my necklace back around my neck while we kissed. He smirked at me.

"You could've just asked to put it on for me."

"But my way was way more sappy and lame."

"Should've gotten Abed to film it."

"Oh don't worry, I got it all."

Jeff and I looked over to see Abed in the door way with the camera on his phone in his hand steadily.

"Abed!"

* * *

_2 months later_

"Buttered noodles!"

"Annie, please tell your boyfriend to kindly wait 5 minutes. I can only do so much."

Annie rolled her eyes as Jeff slumped back into Abed's recliner. He was watching Inspector Spacetime with Troy while Abed was fixing dinner. Annie meanwhile was standing over Jeff and playing with his short hair while she watched with them. "It's really coming in nice, Jeff." He turned his head up to face her and grinned. "I know. Won't be long until you get to marvel at my gorgeous locks again." Annie smirked at him. "I'm more looking forward to having something to distract from your humongous forehead." Jeff's eyes widened and he abruptly turned back towards the television, saying nothing but visibly tensing up a bit. Annie couldn't help but laugh as she reached over the recliner and kissed the top of her boyfriend's head. "Oh hun, I'm kidding! Relax!" Jeff merely grunted, causing Annie to roll her eyes.

"Your dinner's done, so I'm gonna need my recliner back now."

"Alright Abed I'm going, geez."

Jeff slowly propped himself up from the recliner using his arms, while Annie rushed over to help him ease into his wheelchair. He could somewhat stand now for seconds at a time, but walking still eluded him as he couldn't move his legs. Annie didn't mind; if she could spend her entire life helping Jeff she would.

The four of them lived together now. Jeff found it was just easier given the difficulty of adjusting to living alone without the aid of his legs. He also found he missed Annie so much more ever since they had started dating officially, so he was happy that he was able to see her every day now. The boys had no problem with Jeff moving in, especially since he was a welcome addition to videogame night and horror movie night, both of which Annie was not particularly a fan of.

He slept with Annie; literally of course, as the suggestive meaning of the term was off limits until Jeff could do that again without experiencing any discomfort. What wasn't off the table however was the couple's heated make out sessions that occurred probably every night, along with their post make out cuddling sessions which soon turned into sleep. If he was being completely honest, Jeff loved it. He didn't even care that he couldn't have sex yet; he was completely content with how things were going for him and Annie right now. All he knew was that they loved each other, and that it would happen when it happened.

After finishing his buttered noodles, they watched a couple more episodes of Inspector Spacetime until Jeff announced that he was ready for bed. Annie wheeled him into her room and helped him out of his clothes, not bothering to hide the fact that she was practically drooling over the sight of his upper body.

"Seriously? How did you maintain that throughout the past year, Jeff?"

"Priorities. If I couldn't save my hair, I had to save the next best thing."

"...you're crazy."

"You love it."

"Whatever, just work with me here."

Working together, the two of them managed to eventually make it into Annie's bed without that many problems, and Annie wasted no time in snuggling into Jeff's bare chest. She felt his arm wrap around her.

"Did you get new shampoo?"

"Yeah! Whaddya think?"

"I like it, although I was growing accustomed to falling asleep to the smell of strawberries."

"Well you better get used to vanilla. It was on sale. I bought 3 bottles."

"It's making me hungry for something sweet that's high in calories. This isn't a good thing."

"Oh, really?"

Suddenly, Annie grabbed Jeff's face and brought his lips down to hers. They made out for awhile, but Annie soon pulled away, leaving Jeff dumbfounded. She smirked at him as she jumped out of the bed.

"That's all you get."

"Why?"

"High in calories."

"You're hilarious. Get back here."

"What are you gonna do, run after me?"

"Too far, Edison. I'm hurt now. Now I don't even want to kiss you. Also, have fun sleeping on the floor."

"We both know you can't fall asleep if I'm not beside you, Jeff."

"I did for the majority of my life."

"That was before you were introduced to my shampoo."

"Well you just changed it."

Annie didn't have a retort to this, so she just Disney-faced him.

"That's low."

"Can I please join you back in bed, babe?"

"...fine."

Annie happily returned to her comfy spot under Jeff's arm.

"You can be evil when you want to be. First the forehead joke, now this."

"But I'm allowed to be evil to you."

"Why?"

"Because we're in love."

"Well that was cheesy."

"You have a beautiful forehead. Now go to bed."

Jeff chuckled.

"I love you."


End file.
